Give dad a simple fathers day gift with this easy fathers day canvas art technique that will show him just how much you really love him.
If you’ve been to the blog any time in the last 2 months then you know I’ve recently moved from Virginia to Michigan which is a long way from being able to pop up to my dad’s house for Father’s Day. So I wanted to create something for both my parents {I sent the same bit of artwork to my mom for Mother’s Day}. And it was such an easy project that turned out so beautifully a few friends convinced me to share it with you!
I’m pretty bad at step by step pictures but I’m hoping I took enough that you get the general idea. It’s all over so fast that you might blink and miss it. But after you know this one simple trick you’ll be able to make all KINDS of custom canvas art that will look like you bought it from a store when really you spent an afternoon creating it yourself!
I bought the flat canvases not the ones that are wrapped on a frame because I wanted it to be a little more stable when I shipped it. I had a horrible vision that if I sent a wrapped canvas through USPS it would arrive with a hole in it or something. The flat canvases worked great and mine is an 11 x 14. Also, keeping in mind a few other disastrous attempts to free hand lettering onto a canvas with paint and a brush I picked up some paint pens and they were a life saver! I really think they were the part of this project that made the magic happen. If you’re going to do anything like this I really recommend you pick some up. They come in a ton of different colors so the sky is the limit!
You want to start by printing whatever you want on your canvas in your favorite font. I printed the two states, the words I wanted, and a little heart. Because I’m OCD and rarely freehand anything if I can help it. On a hard surface that is NOT your canvas {you don’t want to dent or poke a hole in it} flip your design over and firmly trace the outline of it on the back. I used a regular old pencil with a blunt edge to create a thicker line for maximum transfer. If you’re doing thicker letters, trace the outline of the letter so you can fill it in later. No need to fill it in during the tracing stage!
Then flip over the paper and place it right side up where you want it on your canvas. If you’re using a wrapped canvas you want to do this firmly but gently so as not to poke a hole in it. I was able to be a little more forceful with mine because it wasn’t wrapped. Trace over the outline again and like magic the pencil line from the back will transfer onto the canvas! Boom! Some lines will transfer better than others so I recommend holding one side of the paper and lifting with the other to check your lines. That way if you need to lay it back down and retrace a part, it’ll stay perfectly lined up.
Trace the rest of your words, pictures, designs, whatever and then go to work with your paint pens. I choose to work from top to bottom and left to right, switching pen colors as needed to avoid smudging any of the paint with my hand. It’s easier to work with but it’s still paint and smudges until it dries! Luckily drying only takes a couple minutes, which is my kind of project. This entire thing was done in just under 30 minutes and it looks exactly like some of the prints I’ve seen on Etsy that sell for $35 or more. My mom absolutely loved hers and I’m pretty sure my dad is going to love it, too!
I’ve got 2 canvases left in the pack I bought and already have ideas for them using this technique! This is a great gift for anyone who lives far away from their dad on Father’s Day or customize the wording and picture to make any piece of custom art for your home or as a gift! The opportunities are endless 🙂
What do you do for your dad on Father’s Day when you’re too far away to celebrate?
